Hello Games is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of its procedurally generated space exploration game, No Man's Sky. The developer marked the occasion by sharing that the game has achieved its highest player numbers since launch this year, a significant turnaround from its rocky debut in August 2016.
Initially met with widespread criticism and tens of thousands of negative Steam reviews for unmet promises and a lack of content, No Man's Sky has since undergone extensive development. Over the past decade, Hello Games has released 40 major, free updates, gradually improving player sentiment. The game's Steam reviews have climbed from 'overwhelmingly negative' to 'very positive.'
In an open letter to fans, Hello Games development chief Sean Murray highlighted a striking statistic: even after ten years, players have explored less than one percent of the game's over 18 quintillion planets. The sheer scale of the universe means that it would take an estimated 585 billion years to visit every planet. Despite this, the developer confirmed that support for No Man's Sky continues with an upcoming update titled "Cosmos."
Murray also acknowledged the ongoing development of Hello Games' next project, Light No Fire, a fantasy-themed survival and exploration game set on an Earth-sized planet, which was first revealed at The Game Awards 2023.
The anniversary also saw No Man's Sky recognized with a BAFTA award for best evolving game. The game is available on multiple platforms, including PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and Nintendo Switch.